My son may consider Southwestern University in Georgetown (right outside of Austin) which is one of the CTCL schools. I do worry about it being so small as we’ve really only seen state public schools, but with Southwestern being TO, it may work in his favor as he doesn’t do quite as well on standardized tests.
We were supposed to visit this Spring…he’ll probably apply anyway and if the merit aid/financial aid is enough for us to consider, we’ll hopefully visit during the fall or next spring if things are back to normal.
@AndreaLynn Yes, I have noticed that CC posters can be pretentious.
@nichols51 Thanks for the link! The CTCL near us is St. Marys, but they have limited STEM majors, which is unfortunate because we would not have to pay room and board if he went there.
@Johnny523 Hope things are back to normal soon so you can tour NAU. It looks like a great community, very outdoorsy and active. NAU is actually more costly for us since California schools are funded by us California taxpayers.
Hey guys, D is outside the GPA but the schools we are only looking at are Non selective schools Budget dictates only schools that give AUTO merit will be applied to. Most likely she will end up 8 miles from home commuting to our local non flagship public. And she is ok with that.
Gotta love those reminders that our teens are still teens. So apparently when S21 said that he wasn’t into small town LACs in PA, that didn’t mean he wasn’t into small town LACs in MD. Duuuuuh?!?!?!?
For reference, we moved to PA from MD and he considers Baltimore to be home. Or, as I’ve now learned, MD in general.
Well, we played “would you rather?” college edition with MD schools likely to offer him merit against his PA financial safeties. McDaniel and Washington College both beat West Chester. And both came in equal to Pitt “but maybe better.”
Guess, we are going to do virtual sessions with both as he didn’t visit either with S19. But, this means five TO schools on the list. If I knew for sure that he’d get great merit scholarships, he could drop Pitt and West Chester. But we need in-state options on the list as financial safeties.
@InfiniteWaves I just saw something on my Facebook feed last night that McDaniel is giving something like $3000 if you do their virtual tour. Not a huge sum, but something to look into if you’re doing the tour anyway!
My D21 is in a Philly special admission school. She did manage to take her SAT but only scored an 1100 so hoping to be able to take again or do TO. Her GPA is 3.8 UW but she has taken no AP or honors classes as it’s not a real focus in her school until junior year and they only offer 5 with a few rotating. She didn’t take APUSH because the regular US History teacher is a mentor to her and she finds her classes interesting and challenging. She didn’t qualify for AP Biology and but will be taking AP English Senior year. Her school has no rank so I have no idea where she falls in her class of only 60 students.
She also decided only last year that she wants to major in animation so is a little behind in the portfolio process. Her school as no art classes which doesn’t help. She has taken Saturday classes at Uarts and was scheduled to take a precollege course there this summer which would have greatly helped her portfolio but looks like that will be cancelled now.
By being here on CC and doing research, we were really nervous that her rigor and lack of any AP or art classes in high school would really be a detriment and she was doomed for community college. After doing many virtual tours and talking to admission counselors, we have found that there are good options out there for her. It won’t be RISD, Ringling, or Carnegie Mellon, but that’s OK as we couldn’t afford them anyway.
Pratt will probably be her reach school but all the other schools we have looked at that she is interested in such as a Temple, Syracuse, Rutgers, Montclair, VCU, or Uarts are all good schools that she has a real chance of getting into and will receive a great education.
I would recommend a visit to VCU. As you said, she’s likely to get in with her stats. Also, while not all students will like the urban setting, my son and I loved when we toured the campus.
Yes, CC can be toxic if you let it. It sounds like your daughter is doing quite well actually, and will likely have a lot of options when the time comes. Good luck!
@EconPop we are going to plan a trip down to VCU. My daughter wants a more urban campus that she can easily get home to Philly so it might be a good fit for her. She initially didn’t mind going far away, but this crisis made us all realize that we wanted her to be able to get home quickly if she had to and to be closer to home near transportation. Good luck to you as well!
@eb23282 Yes it can be. We are just trying to be realistic and get through this process the best we can under the circumstances. I have also tried commenting a few times on other boards and was ignored so I feel like I found a thread home! It’s really a shame because I found some great information and advice on here. Good luck to you as well!
@InfiniteWaves a couple of years ago, I was at a college presentation at my son’s high school that had a panel of local college reps. The rep from McDaniel was impressive. One of the things that stood out to me is that, at that time, merit was offered to students even if they applied without sending test scores. I’m not sure if that is still the case, but it was two years ago. I think it would be a great place to consider for my S21, but he is adamant that he wants to leave MD for college. Sad, b/c I could totally see him at Loyola, but “it’s too close to my high school.”
I wish we had some good in-state options from a financial standpoint, but unfortunately, for S21, they are either too big or too rural in MD. Salisbury would be closest but they are only test optional if you have a 3.5 (unless they change that due to COVID) and I think S21 currently has a 3.4.
@Mcru1231 CC had me terrified with my S19. I thought with his 3.9 (Took 1 AP) and 1180 SAT score, he was doomed. He’s currently a freshman at Penn State main campus. We are PA residents. He also got into every other college he applied to, with merit. Has your D considered MICA?
My S21 is an art kid but wants art as an option, not necessarily a major. Not interested in art school. If your D didn’t have art classes or an art teacher, you could probably reach out to a local art school or independent artist to help her pull a portfolio together. Bet they would work virtually right now. Here in my small, central PA city we have artists who do that. It’s a good side hustle and they know the ropes. S21’s small, Catholic high school has one part-time art teacher who does this.
@4kids4us Thanks for the insight on McDaniel. I still think of it as Western Maryland! If you could see your S21 at Loyola, consider Saint Joseph’s in Philly. They are really similar. Both Jesuit. About the same size. Traditional campus in a city neighborhood. Heck, Saint Joe’s even has a pedestrian bridge that goes over the main road, just like Loyola does! My S21 even laughs about how similar they are. Saint Joe’s is good with merit too for kids of this thread.
@InfiniteWaves we were fortunate to have done a tour of St. Joseph’s in late January when he had a day off from school. I’d already been compiling a list of TO schools I thought might be a match for him, so SJU was on my radar a while ago. As the product of a Jesuit university myself, I’m a little biased toward Jesuit education and would love to see him at a Jesuit school. We both really liked SJU and I could definitely see him there. We had also toured Fairfield back in the fall. He liked both; I’m not sure at the moment whether one has an edge over the other in his mind, but he told me the other day right now those are his top choices. Of course he says this without having officially toured any other schools (though he’s been on a ton of college campuses over the years). Even tho he would love the “rah rah” of a university with a big sports atmosphere, I think in the back of his mind he realizes he would fit better at a mid-size school. His personal list is all over the map (Butler, Xavier, Dayton, Elon, Tampa, James Madison, East Carolina to name a few…). We will have to have a little chat about cost, possibility for merit, etc as I know some of these would be a reach and probably too $$.
As for McDaniel, I can NEVER remember the name of the school! I think Western MD is sealed in my mind, and I always thought of it as a state school. I had no idea it was a private LAC. In fact, we had a conversation about the name during that college session and the rep told us that was part of the reason they renamed the college, because so many people thought it was a public/state school. (It got its original name because the first chairman was also president of the Western MD Railroad). Anyway, one of S19’s friends is a freshman there on the lacrosse team. He has been happy there so far, though unfortunately his season was cut short. Coincidentally, his brother goes to Washington College, another school you mentioned. It’s pretty expensive; I don’t know how their merit works though.
@InfiniteWaves thank you for that advice. My daughter does community service at her old elementary after-school program that her art teacher is in charge of and is a mentor to her. She will be providing a LOR and advice for her art portfolio. The only thing worse that being on CC is going on the portfolio review videos on Youtube. While she has talent, she clearly is a late starter and no comparison to the professional level art that these kids do. Another reason why she is shying away from the more prestigious art schools. She feels she won’t get in and can’t compete. She wants a more university experience as well so she can minor in Psychology or Creative Writing which is the reason she does want to try and apply to Pratt. Her other schools are more affordable state universities that academically match her stats plus might be more forgiving with her portfolio. I just worry career-wise once she graduates not having that degree from a RISD or Ringling will hurt her job prospects.
@Mcru1231 I just want to encourage you that your D does not have to attend one of the big name art schools to receive a good education and good job opportunities. My niece is attending her local state school In MO, because it was the best choice financially, and she is majoring in animation. She has worked extremely hard and put herself out there a lot. She is already receiving high interest from the big names. If your D is on Instagram have her search Madi Harp Art. (She has a public account with 125k+ followers)
@4kids4us Right there with you! My husband and I are Loyola Maryland alums. We are all about Jesuit schools too. And quite happy that one of our kids wants to attend our alma mater. He just needs merit to do so. He likes Saint Joseph’s too. And would be an auto admit to U of Scranton (his Catholic high school has an agreement). But Scranton the city does not interest him.
@Mcru1231 Have to back @OriginalSmother on this one. Several of the PASSHE schools are NASAD accredited. My niece graduated with her BFA from West Chester. I attended a few of their gallery shows and met her mentor. It’s a great program.
And I’ve worked as a creative my entire career. On the writing side. The designers I’ve worked with in agency and corporate settings have graduated from prestigious art schools and state schools–and all have the same jobs. I’m currently in a corporate UX department and one of our designers has an associate’s degree in design. It’s all about the portfolio in this field.
@OriginalSmother thank you so much for the words of encouragement. Also, we googled your niece and she is extremely talented!
@InfiniteWaves we definitely have Temple on our list. We did get a chance to visit as we live close by, and she really likes the school but it doesn’t have an animation major. We also have done a virtual session with Kutztown as they do offer a digital arts degree and she liked the curriculum but don’t know too much about the school or internships/job prospects. Do you know much about their art program?
@Mcru1231 We made sure that S19 had at least one PASSHE and one state-related school on his list for financial purposes. As it turned out, his top choice was Penn State and that’s where he ended up. But he did apply to Ship and was admitted with a small scholarship. He’s an English and writing major.
S21 likes West Chester for the PASSHE slot because of its location and also his cousin graduated from there last year. But I have to say, as a creative myself, Kutztown offers a lot for the artsy kids. It’s NASAD accredited and has some broader options. The campus is lovely. And it’s mid-sized like Ship as opposed to large like WCU. I’d say it’s worth consideration if you need a PASSHE option on the list.
@InfiniteWaves We have done a lot of virtual tours and the Kutztown info session accompanied by an Instagram live tour of campus was really well done and she is interested. We live about an hour away so hope to be able to visit. She loves Pratt and that is number one on her list. It just a matter of having the portfolio to get in. It’s also really expensive. I would hope she receives enough merit to make it work is she gets accepted.
With Kutztown she will have no debt at all as I work at Penn and get a tuition benefit for her. PASSHE and Temple are like a free ride. Another school she has interest in, Montclair, would also have no debt for her as she would be eligible for in state tuition due to get GPA plus my stipend. I told her that I think it is more important to start your life after college debt free rather than going to the more expensive prestigious school and struggling for years with loans.
